VN September 2020

Vetnuus | September 2020 28 Harnesses have increasingly become popular among dog owners as the industry moves away from collar walking. Harnesses have proven to have many benefits such as increased handling and control of your dog, decreased tension on the neck (which is especially important in dogs with compromised necks such as dogs with laryngeal collapse or wobbler’s syndrome) as well as being aesthetically pleasing. Companies capitalising on this new movement have created all sorts of designs of harnesses, which differ in shape and where they fit on the dog’s body. With this increase in designs and shapes, however, comes the concern for just how these harnesses affect the dog’s movement, with particular regard to the shoulder. Much research is still to be done, but many professionals such as Dr Chris Zink have taken it upon themselves to try and explain the effects of these harnesses, which we will discuss in more detail below. But first… Let us talk about anatomy! A dog’s shoulder joint is a ball and socket joint, which means that the movements the joint allow include flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and rotations. The joint is supported by a sling of muscles which facilitate these movements, mainly the Mm Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Deltoideus, Teres major, Teres minor, Biceps brachii and Triceps brachii (Pentz, 2019) (Fig 1). It is important to understand our dog’s anatomy, because the design of certain harness’s may help or hinder the shoulder’s natural, correct movements. Typically, harnesses can be divided into two main categories: Restrictive and Non-Restrictive . Restrictive harnesses are designs that run horizontally across the chest (Fig 2) and are considered to hinder the dog’s shoulder movement. Non-restrictive harnesses tend to have more Y-shaped designs and lie in front of the shoulder joint, thus considered less restrictive on the movement of the joint (Fig 3) Figure 2. The Restrictive harness lies across the chest and over the shoulder joint, thus restricting shoulder extension as seen above. When we restrict the movement of a joint, we open the door for all sorts of things to potentially go wrong. In an article titled “ Harnesses for Agility Dogs ’’, written by Brittany Jean Carr, Chris Zink and Kaitlyn Dreese in 2019, it is suggested that the restrictive harnesses can limit shoulder extension and forelimb excursion (deviation of where the foot should be landing). The article states that alteration of a dog’s gait can predispose himtomany types of injury, the most concerning being shoulder tendinopathies. Harnesses Ashleigh Nicholas Figure 3. The Non-Restrictive harness lies in front of the shoulder joint and seems to allow for more free movement of the scapula complex.